March 2009

by Susan Grisanti Kelley Photography Irvin Serrano

Several years ago I saw Kristin Richard on a television interview. She was speaking about her life post-Lance Armstrong and the healing path that she was on. Part of her recovery from the heartbreak of her divorce was to remember and to make a list of the things she loved most in life—the things that made her uniquely her, independent of her as a wife or mother. She suggested that everyone should have such a list of their own. A list of the things that bring us happiness and that make us inimitably ourselves.

This inimitability is something MH+D seeks to capture. While the homes featured are often chosen based on the beauty of their design and setting, there is another quality that the MH+D team is drawn to: the personality of the homeowner that shines through—the spirit of who lives there and what makes the home distinctively theirs. One project that stands out in this category is that of Liv Rockefeller and Ken Shure. “A Many-Storied Home,” page 50, tells how the couple worked closely with interior designer Ariana Fischer Gregg to create a design that layers and balances Liv and Ken’s many collections as well as the heirlooms of their families. “Everything in our house must have meaning, not just look good,” insists Liv. “Every object, every painting has a story.”

The surface beauty of a project usually makes the first impression and then, upon closer observation, the soul shines through. Something quite different is the case with our cover story, “A Beacon of Green Design,” page 42. The home office/studio generates enough electricity to give back to the grid—when the systems are working most efficiently, the electricity meter runs backward, so to speak. Designed as the most eco-conscious structure possible, BrightBuilt Barn wears its substance on its sleeve, and the beauty of the design is something that is discovered on closer inspection. Amongst green structures, the practical livability and beauty of its design might be the most revolutionary part of the project.

In the days before we closed up work on this issue, artist Andrew Wyeth passed away. Readers reached out to us mourning the loss of this venerated artist. In his debut piece in MH+D, Ken Greenleaf helps us to remember Andrew Wyeth (“On the Death of Andrew Wyeth,” page 20). In those same days, the MH+D staff vacated our offices, crossed the park, and crowded into a standing-room-only bar at the Grill Room to watch our nation’s 44th president be sworn into office. With each ending we begin anew.

Susan Grisanti Kelley
Editor